Made a Box to house my straight razors

[Ray C]

You mean you're looking for a W&B like this one? I have one other just like it for sure which I plan to keep. If I have a 3rd I'll PM you.

Haven't collected any in many years. I started about 15 years ago when they were selling for 5-10 bucks on eBay and I had enough when prices were getting into the $50 range. Have no idea what they're going for now. I have 4 daily use razors of varying types. One of them is well over 200 years old. I have one daily shaver that's chrome steel. Very hard to set the edge but it stays sharp. Still though, my favorite is a real simple Shumate. It just dances smooth as silk.

I've never tried the diamond paste but think I have some around. Things work well with a couple grades of canvas and leather strops. A few whacks with whatever one happens to call to me that morning and a couple whacks with the hard leather and that's it. Haven't stoned one in probably 4 years -simply no need once the edge is set. Some day, I'd like to make one out of 1095 just for grins.

Here in the States, not too many folks are shaving the old-fashioned way -how about in your Country? Funny... Most folks don't have a clue of how ungodly sharp these things are. I never let people handle them as they usually get a deep cut in under 2 seconds.

EDIT: All things said, the W&B is OK but they have a weird balance. Very heavy. Also, unless you have the right face for them, catching the mustache with a 3/4" blade is not all that easy. With the weight though, they plow through anything and when I've got a couple days on my face, I always grab the Butcher.


Ray

Hi Ray, all the ones I have are the high carbon types, don't have any of the chrome type (ie; stainless), I polish each razor as soon as I acquire it, then set bevel, hone using about 5 stones (4K/8K Norton the rests are slates and a JNat), balsa board with 50K and 100K diamond dust, leather strop and then that's it. Once mine are sharpened they stay sharp for a long time as I have a leather strop in the bathroom with some 100k diamond dust on it so after each shave with a razor, about 10 strops and it's good to go again, it gets the edge slightly sharpened and polished each time and ready for the next use.

You must have a very impressive razor collection with a lot of history in there, must have taken you a long time to get that many, I stopped at about 30 to work out what types I like and am now selling off the ones I don't want, trying to keep it to a manageable size (10-12). Still looking for an old Wade and Butcher near wedge/quarter grind with a nice and heavy blade about 7/8, but those are very popular and go for big bucks as soon as they show up, my budget does not allow for the sort of price that they go for but I keep looking.

I would imagine that you would need a massive chest for your collection, bolted to the floors, locked and insured well. To house your collection, I can picture them in a nice brushed stainless cabinet with gold coloured fittings and slide out lined drawers, and if you wanted to get really fancy, some nice LED lighting inside, maybe a glass top insert so you can look at some of your your favourites without opening the cabinet, but that sort off cabinet would really take some time doing!:think1: . So if you have a month to spare that could be your next project!

Cheers

Ed.

- - - Updated - - -



Hi Dave, agree with you on that one, she has now said she will buy me a saw/jointer bench for the shed as a late birthday present. I knew there was a reason I married her.)

Cheers

Ed.

 

[clevinski]

Hi Guys', my straight razor collection has grown a bit since the start of the year so I made myself a cheap box to house them all and get a bit more organized, it's out of some Meranti timber I had lying around the shed for a while, would have preferred some hardwood but didn't have any, so made do with what I had, that Meranti is real soft, anyway found a small piece of nice Marble at a Stonemason's for the top, polished it up a bit more and it came up nice. Polyurethaned the timber and with 3 drawers, the first 2 drawers for my favourite razors, didn't put in the other 10 as I will be going to sell them off soon. The 3rd. drawer for the various bits and pieces, ie; soaps ect. still have to find some small plastic containers to hold them. What didn't show up is a bag of desiccant in the back of each drawer to suck up any moisture.

The liner was going to be green microfiber but after hunting around the house for about 30 minutes I gave up, I know I have about 8mts of the stuff... somewhere! however in the process I found a small piece of scrap red velour that one of my daughters had left over from a school costume she made when she was much younger, so I claimed it and so red liner it is.

Machined up the post of the double brush holder from a piece of stainless rod in my lathe, put a small taper on it, plasma cut the holding arms, ground it up into shape and welded the lot to a piece of stainless angle I made for it. Polished it up and screwed it in to the back of the box. Now my missus can't complain about my stuff lying all over the bathroom bench.

Cheers

Ed.

That is a BEAUTIFUL job! Congratulations!

 

[Ed.]

You mean you're looking for a W&B like this one? I have one other just like it for sure which I plan to keep. If I have a 3rd I'll PM you.

Haven't collected any in many years. I started about 15 years ago when they were selling for 5-10 bucks on eBay and I had enough when prices were getting into the $50 range. Have no idea what they're going for now. I have 4 daily use razors of varying types. One of them is well over 200 years old. I have one daily shaver that's chrome steel. Very hard to set the edge but it stays sharp. Still though, my favorite is a real simple Shumate. It just dances smooth as silk.

I've never tried the diamond paste but think I have some around. Things work well with a couple grades of canvas and leather strops. A few whacks with whatever one happens to call to me that morning and a couple whacks with the hard leather and that's it. Haven't stoned one in probably 4 years -simply no need once the edge is set. Some day, I'd like to make one out of 1095 just for grins.

Here in the States, not too many folks are shaving the old-fashioned way -how about in your Country? Funny... Most folks don't have a clue of how ungodly sharp these things are. I never let people handle them as they usually get a deep cut in under 2 seconds.

EDIT: All things said, the W&B is OK but they have a weird balance. Very heavy. Also, unless you have the right face for them, catching the mustache with a 3/4" blade is not all that easy. With the weight though, they plow through anything and when I've got a couple days on my face, I always grab the Butcher.


Ray

View attachment 53509

Thanks Ray, that offer would be nice. Over here and all over the world from what I gather, men are going back to the old fashioned ways of shaving, might have a lot to do with the ridiculous prices that are being charged for cartridge blades and also the mediocre shave you get after several shaves. Since I started this post I have also gone to shaving with a Double Edge safety razor, ( a Merkur 39C, which is a slant razor, very heavy handle though but have got used to it now.) and I am very, very impressed. I had forgotten how sharp those blades were, much sharper than the straights and much better shaves, down side is, that I tend to have a few more nicks even when carefull. The DE blades are really cheap on ebay, I shave about every 1 to 2 days and a double sided blade lasts me about a week to ten days before I notice it dulling, and with blades costing about $16/100 on ebay I will get at least 2 years worth of shaving for that low $16 price.

Can't beat that $0.16 per week of great shaves!! I didn't shave for 3 days recently and so had a decent hard stubble, tried a couple of my straights and felt the resistance as they cut through the whiskers, switched over to the Merkur and it was effortless, and it wasn't even a new blade. As to the diamond dust I think that it puts a harsher cutting action on the steel. (I use 50K and 100K grit), I have some very fine ruby dust so must mix up a small batch and try it out to see if it will put a more mellow edge on them.

You should try DE shaving I think you will enjoy it! and the prices for the razor holders are quite reasonable. I paid about AU$55 for a new one delivered, should be cheaper where you are. This is provided that your skin hasn't got lumps and bumps on it otherwise you will be a bleeding raw mess afterwards although since you use a straight it probably won't be an issue! Might get a Muhle R89 next or a Merkur 34G. Oooops, Just got a shiver down my spine, I think I may be getting another RAD (Razor Aquisition Disorder) developing!:rofl: Help!!!


My wife came through and now I have a nice carbide tipped jointer, as well as a 2HP Dust Extractor and have built my self a 4HP 14" Table saw. No room in the shed but hey, I can do a lot more stuff now, just have to take the gear outside.

Just noticed your palm lines, mine are almost the same but with a bit more prominent main line. Not many of us have them going straight across.

Cheers

Ed.